


Smile

by levesqueen



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2018-12-30 05:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12101859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levesqueen/pseuds/levesqueen
Summary: "Smile, my lord, or they'll think they've won."It's been over a century since Ciel's story began, and it's still going strong as the queen gives her "immortal guard dog" a task he might not be able to conquer. Entering the foster system in order to be as inconspicuous as possible, Ciel carries out the queens request—and the repercussions that come with it.





	1. Un

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ: Ciel has the body of a seventeen year old here. Comment below if anything else confuses you and I'll try to explain, because I know this is a complicated storyline. Moving on~~

Ciel stared at the letter in his hands, his blood running cold. Sebastian side eyed him from the sofa, waiting for him to be beckoned. 

"Sebastian," Ciel finally said, no emotion in his voice whatsoever. 

"Yes, my lord?" 

"The queen has issued me a mission," Ciel stood, wiping imaginary dust off his jeans. "I want you to stay away." Sebastian was taken aback. 

"You want me to what?"

"I go in alone. That's an order, Sebastian. However-" he paused, thinking of the right words to say. 

"You can fake a masters degree in English or something, right?" Not waiting for an answer, Ciel forged ahead. "I need you to get a job at-" -he checked the letter- "-Weston Academy. What is it with the name Weston and schools?" he grumbled, mostly to himself. 

"Alright. Are you taking a taxi then?" Ciel sighed through his nose, his nostrils flaring

"No, I'm getting a ride from the orphanage. Can you believe that? She's putting me with a foster family for the school year, says they want to meet me tonight." Ciel tossed the letter Sebastian's way and Sebastian read it thoroughly. 

"I'm surprised she didn't email you." He finally said. Ciel snorted. 

"Me too. Damn new generation and their technological advancements." He mumbled. Lizzie would've laughed and told him to lighten up. He paused at the thought of Lizzie. Things were odd with her before she passed away of old age. They had descendants somewhere out there. Last he'd heard, he had a grandchild in America and a great grandchild in Norwich. 

"Master?" Sebastian asked. 

"What?"

"Nothing. You spaced out for a moment. Do you want me to call Finnian and have him watch you?" Ciel nodded. Finnian was his last remaining servant. Being tested on his entire youth, the scientists that had abused him had managed to not only give him super strength, but also slowed down his aging process considerably. 

"Have him go in as a guidance councilor." Ciel said. Sebastian walked away, leaving Ciel to pack

Ciel looked around the small apartment. With London growing to be such a big city, there wasn't much room to have a manor. Plus, he quite liked the minimalism of it all. 

Shaking his head, Ciel took out a duffel bag and began to pack, wondering exactly how long he'd be gone.


	2. Deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel meets his new foster family, and on the ride there he has a flashback of his earlier life.

Ciel glanced at the clock. He'd wasted half an hour checking his emails and looking up the ins and outs of the foster program.

He hoped to whatever God there was that he'd end up with one of the nice families.

He had a little under an hour left to spare, and he'd already finished packing a bag. Sebastian appeared in the doorframe behind him, holding some tuning behind his back.

"I'm not yet required to leave you on your own, am I?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"What is it?" Ciel asked. Sebastian's hand moved from behind his back to reveal a pen. Ciel already knew what it did. The side where the ink would come out of was replaced by a blade that you could click into or out of the pen, an inconspicuous way of hiding a pocketknife. While you couldn't use it to kill anyone, you could do some serious damage with it. He couldn't remember where or when he'd acquired it, but he was supposed to give it to his predecessor as a family heirloom sort of thing.

He never got the chance to.

"No. Absolutely not. Why the hell would I need that thing?" Ciel asked.

"I have a feeling it will come of use." Sebastian insisted. Ciel thought for a moment. Sebastian had never been wrong when it came to harm coming Ciel's way. Ciel took the pen, stuffing it in his pocket, grumbling the entire time.

"I'm gonna go call Finny." He muttered, stepping out of the room. Sebastian chucked to himself. Despite being well over two hundred.

An hour and a phone call to Finnian later, Ciel big goodbye to Sebastian, going over their rushed plans.

"Job?"

"Check." Sebastian affirmed.

"Finny?"

"Double check."

Ciel wrinkled his nose, hating the idea. "Claude and Alois?" Sebastian's eyes flashed in their shared disdain of the duo.

"Check."

"Alright, good to go. Only approach the household if you know I'm in over my head or if I miss a single day of school. I'll see you on Monday, Sebastian." Sebastian nodded his head, and with that, Ciel walked out the door, down two flights of stairs, and stepped into the black SUV. He frowned, looking at the driver, a young woman with wiry brown hair pulled back into a bun.

"What's with the tinted windows?" He asked as they pulled away from the curb.

"Some of the children are picky when it comes to that. Clearly you aren't..." she eyed him. She cleared her theist, adjusting her hands in the wheel. "Anyway, my name is Justine. You must be Ciel Michaelis—" he changed his last name every twenty years. He'd already burned through Trancy, Jones, Smith, Faustus, Sutcliff, and Midfird among others. Michaelis was the one he took when Sebastian had to pose as his legal guardian.

"That'd be me." He confirmed, vaguely listening. She kept talking about this next household and he thought about running away to Norwich. Maybe his descendant would take him in if he posed as a cousin or something.

"—if you experience any problems in this household, which are common with this particular family, please contact us immediately. I understand that your situation is... unique. But they don't know you were sent by the queen; no one but you, me, the queen, and the head supervisor know. We should be there in fifteen minutes." He nodded.

"Sounds good." Five minutes later his mind had drifted of to something he thought about often; Lizzie's death.

They were married for fifteen years, long enough to have three kids together without the aging difference being too extreme. They divorced when rumors started going around about their now taboo relationship, but remained close friends afterwards.

She was in her fifties, he was still stuck as a seventeen year old. He remembered right before they got married, he told her about Sebastian.

_"Lizzie," he'd said. "I'm not who I used to be." Lizzie giggled._

_"Of course not. You were a lot meaner back then." Ciel shook his head, grinning._

_"No, I mean... I'm not completely human anymore. When I was twelve, and my parents had died, I was kidnapped by a cult." He paused to see her reaction. There was none. He face was emotionless. He continued. "The only way I got out was Sebastian. I... struck a sort of deal with him."_

_"He's a demon, isn't he?" She asked. He looked at her, taken aback._

_"How-"_

_"I've seen your eye, Ciel. I've seen him fight. I've seen his hand. I'm not stupid. I could put two and two together." She said quietly. He almost thought she was angry, before she kissed his cheek, putting her arm around his shoulders._

_"And I suppose the only reason you aren't dead is because you're a demon too now, right?" He could tell she was joking on that last part, but he nodded anyway. She dropped her arm that she'd slung around his shoulders._

_"Wha-"_

_"Lizzie, I can't age anymore. If you marry me, you'll live your life out to the fullest, knowing there's so much to do before the end. Me—I stay seventeen forever."_

_"So we'll make it count." It was Ciel's turn to ask what she was on about. "You may never find someone willing to marry you again." She giggled, and he laughed with her. "I'll admit, I'm a bit concerned about what'll happen in the future, but I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle." Ciel smiled a real smile, one of his rare ones that Lizzie loves so much._

_"Right."_

Ciel snapped out of his daydream with a harsh jerk. A quant townhouse stood in front of him, a big yard and trees surrounding it. A dirt circle driveway stretched in front of them towards a small gait behind him. He hadn't seen a house like this in a while.

"Where are we?" He asked Justine. He could tell she was mentally preparing herself for whatever came next. That was never a good sign.

"Just outside of London, a couple miles north of Brighton. I hope you're strong enough for this." She mostly muttered the last part to herself. Ciel frowned. How bad could this place possibly be? He grabbed his bags, and walked towards the two steps that led up to the wraparound porch.

Stepping inside, he immediately considered calling Sebastian back.

Damn me for jinxing it. He silently cursed himself out.

A couple stood in front of him. The man had dark hair and pale skin along with round glasses, which reminded him of Claude. The woman had light brown hair and an olive complexion, and a toddler that looked like an exact cross between them cowered behind his fathers legs.

The woman spoke in a thick American accent, "Welcome, Ciel!"


	3. Trois

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel meets an old frenemy with whom he has a lot to catch up on.

Justine bid hello and and goodbye to the Gundermans and left Ciel in their care for good. He knelt in front of the little one, giving the smile he had reserved for children once his son, Vincent, was born. "What's your name?" He asked. The boy cowered further behind his fathers legs. 

"Rafael." 

The mother smiled again, picking up the boy. "I'm Rebecca, this is my husband Richard, and this is our son, Rafael. There's another boy that arrived yesterday, about your age. Would you like to meet him?" Ciel nodded, though he wasn't looking forward to meeting the boy. He was already well aware of whom it was. Rebecca, still carrying the little boy in her arms, showed Ciel down a hallway and up a staircase to the attic, where a bunk bed, a desk, and a set of drawers sat. 

"Meet Alois!" Alois snickered, standing from his seat at the desk. 

"Alois, this is Ciel. Show him his bunk please." Rebecca and Rafael left, leaving Ciel alone with Alois. 

"I'm surprised you called me, of all people, to help." Alois said as soon as Rebecca was out of earshot. 

"Sebastian called Claude, actually." Alois frowned. 

"Claude? Claude, who's been dead for one hundred and twenty years? That Claude?"

"Then who did Sebastian talk to?"

"I dunno. Probably Hannah." Alois threw himself on the bottom bunk. Ciel automatically knew he had to take top bunk. He hated top bunk. 

"So Claude died, but not you. How'd that happen?" Ciel asked. 

"Hannah tried to use the demon sword on herself after she assumed I was dead—I wasn't, by the way, let's just clear that up—but it didn't work because demon swords are weird shit."

"They can only be used by a demon to kill a demon." Ciel mentioned. "I remember."

"Exactly, but a demon can't use one to commit suicide. So Hannah didn't die, she just lost some power. Anyway, when that didn't work, she came to me. I was mostly dead, but she managed to get me back to health. A bit too healthy actually, as when she tried to kill herself, she had Claude's soul residual on her hands, which I obtained when she healed me. Like I said, weird shit."

"Do you're immortal too now. That's unfortunate," Ciel grumbled, packing his stuff into a bottom drawer. 

"I heard you, but I'm going to ignore what you said out of sheer optimism!" Ciel rolled his eyes. "Now that I've told you about my rebirth of sorts, are you gonna tell me why the bloody hell I'm here?" 

"This house has been the last resort for almost two dozen children. Police have investigated, but all they've found is a dead dog and some chicken carcasses—probably a family dog and the remains of their dinner." Ciel told Alois. "I don't see how this is any different from my usual cases, but the queen ordered me to be extremely cautious. I called you in because you're psychotic, deranged, and might be crazy enough to keep us from getting killed."

"That's flattering." Alois giggled. "Enough chitchat though, today's Saturday. Tomorrow we're supposed to enroll in the academy here and on Monday we attend class. I have Hannah going in as a nurse, and I'm assuming you have Sebastian and that servant yours doing something as well." 

"Counselor and music teacher, yes." Ciel recalled. Sebastian had decided on what class he wanted to teach, and Ciel didn't object when he mentioned music. 

"Good positions. So it's been twenty years since I've last seen you, and even then it was hardly in warm regards." Ciel remembered that. He'd nearly burnt down the grocery store when he saw Alois in the cheese section. "So tell me, how's life been? Are you still a grumpy old man stuck in a teenagers body?"

"Feels like it," Ciel sighed. "No, I got married, had kids, got divorced, lived my life out like some sort of immortal Sherlock since." 

"Hmm. Sounds boring. I've been traveling. I imagine you heard about the glass bridge in china cracking? That was me."

"I figured." Ciel yawned, glancing at the clock. It was hardly even ten o'clock, but he was tired. 

"I'm hitting the sack. You try to kill me in my sleep, I'll come back and stab you in the balls." Alois giggled at Ciel's tired threat, but otherwise left him to sleep.


	4. Quatre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read the comments last night and I started crying y'all are so sweet. Also, in regards to the story~~ I'm homeschooled, so my interpretation of public school might not be completely accurate. I'm also American, so this is completely new terrain for me.

I read the comments last night and I started crying y'all are so sweet. Also, in regards to the story~~ I'm homeschooled, so my interpretation of public school might not be completely accurate. I'm also American, so this is completely new terrain for me. 

Ciel woke up on Monday morning and wondered if running away to Norwich was still an option. Deciding he'd wait a little longer until he put that particular plan in action, he started getting ready, not bothering to wake Alois. 

He knew Alois was awake when he heard muddled cursing from their room ten minutes later. "Six in the fucking morning," he heard him grumble before he started banging on the bathroom door. "Oi, hurry up your damned shower! I need to pee and I don't feel like going downstairs." 

"Lazy arse." Ciel muttered, turning off the water. 

"My therapist says those who constantly put others below them do so because they have low self esteem." Alois replied from the other side of the door. Ciel rolled his eyes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He grabbed his eyepatch and walked out of the bathroom as Alois walked in. 

"Boys!" He heard the dad walking up the stairs, what was his name again? Richard? "Breakfast and then bus!" He opened the door right as Ciel was tying the knot to his eyepatch. He silently cursed himself for being old fashioned and not having a sticky eyepatch. 

Richard started at him for a cold moment. "I didn't notice you had that eyepatch yesterday. I usually don't like being this forward, but what's it for?" 

And they say chivalry is dead, Ciel thought to himself. 

"Nothing. I was born without it. People find empty eye sockets a bit disturbing. Problem with that?" He challenged. Richard put his hands up in mock surrender, backing out of the room and closing the door behind him. Ciel sighed. Alois chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom. 

"Seriously? That's the excuse you use for the Faustian contract?" Alois giggled. 

"Shut up..." Ciel grumbled, packing his backpack. 

Richard stood behind the closed door of their bedroom. "Faustian contract, huh...?"

•••

Ciel and Alois didn't think places like this existed anymore, but there stood Weston Academy, proving them wrong. 

"I hope they didn't turn my manor into a bloody school." Alois mumbled to Ciel. Ciel nodded. He'd sold his manor to be made into a museum back in the twenties right before the Great Depression hit. His kids were furious, but since he couldn't die and leave it to any of them anyway, they didn't object. 

"How do modern schools work again?" Ciel asked. A few passerby looked at him strangely. Alois shrugged. 

"I dunno. In the movies they go to the front office first and get their schedule. Then they usually go over their schedule with their friends—we can skip that part—find their locker, and go to class."

"So the front office. That's where we enrolled yesterday, right-"

"Ah, you must be the new students!" Ciel internally groaned. A young man with shaggy blond hair and bright green eyes stood in front of them. "I'm Mr. Finnian, your guidance councilor! Need any help?"

"How's the investigation going?"

"Why, yes! We do have a Japanese course! You can sign up at the front office, I'll take you there now!" Finny said loudly, glancing to the side. Richard, who had decided to drop them off himself, was still parked there in his sleek black car, watching them.

"That the foster dad? Seems like the serial killer type." Finnian said once they were completely out of earshot. 

"Wouldn't be surprised, guys been watching us like a hawk since we arrived." Ciel muttered. 

"Here's the front office!" Finny said, stopping suddenly. Ciel ran smack into his shoulder and Alois started laughing. 

"Bloody hell, Finny!"

"Sorry, young- I mean Ciel. Here's the front office! Just go inside and ask for your schedule. You can come see me during free period." He chuckled, straightening his brand new navy blue bow tie. ("Young master, I've never had a bow tie before! Can I please? It'll be perfect for the new teacher disguise!")

Ciel and Alois walked in and retrieved the schedule, and when they came back out the halls were empty, Finny gone. 

"Huh. Must've missed first bell." Alois shrugged, looking down at his paper, then comparing it to Ciel's. 

"We have lunch and history together, god forbid we already lived through history." Ciel said. 

"Alright, first class is Science—because apparently I haven't been dealing with that for over a century—I'll see you for second period then! That's when history is, right?" Ciel nodded. 

"I have science. Oh, shit, we have to find lockers. I forgot about that. Okay, mine is..." he looked up. His was right down the hall. "Right there."

"Aw, mine's in the other direction. Anyway, I'm off. See you!" Ciel nodded Alois goodbye before stuffing his bag into his locker and running to where he guessed the classroom was. He walked in, chest heaving, right before the third bell rang. 

"Ah, our newest student is late already." Ciel groaned internally. A tall, lanky old man with wiry brown-gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses stood in front of him. Looking around the classroom at all the students, Ciel vaguely considered grabbing Alois, Sebastian, Finny, and Hannah and booking it to Norwich.

Ciel really wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but he'd learnt to hold his tongue after over a century of people looking down on him because of his physical age.

"Before you take your seat, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Ciel scowled. He didn't see the point in doing this, but he stood by the teachers desk anyway. 

"I'm Ciel. I'm from London." He sat down at the only seat available, the one farthest from the window. The kids surrounding him were much bigger than he, not that that had ever intimidated him. It might be inconvenient if worse came to worse and he had to fight his way out of this hellhole. 

The teacher grinned at the class. Ciel could tell this was one of the nicer ones, despite the rude first impression. 

"Alright, who's ready to blow some stuff up?"


	5. Cinq

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second period attacks, and a talk with Finnian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter I said he was going to English class bUT I MEANT S C I E N CE IM SORRY. Also, this part has some major cliche in it, just a warning.

Second period rolled around eventually, and with it came Alois. 

"First period was bloody horrible." Alois stage whispered to Ciel once they'd managed to grab seats next to each other. He then snickered at his pun. 

"That was hardly necessary." Ciel murmured back as the teacher walked in, a dozen or so bored students shuffling in behind her like zombies. They all had uniforms on similar to those of Alois and Ciel's, but many of them had layered leather jackets or pins on top of their school-issued shirts. 

Isn't that against the regulations?, Ciel thought to himself. 

"Alright class, we have two new students today. Boys, please introduce yourselves." Alois stood up first. 

"I'm Alois Trancy, came here from London." Ciel stood up before anyone else had a chance to speak. 

"Ciel, from London." He sat down quickly. The teacher introduced herself as Mrs. Martinez. 

"Today we'll be talking about late nineteenth century England." She began. Ciel wanted to smack his head against the fake wooden desk they'd shoved him behind. Alois raised his hand. 

"That's an oddly specific era, isn't it ma'am?"

"No questions yet, please." Was the answer she gave him. 

"Now, in late nineteenth century England, we were ruled by Queen Victoria and her houses, named House Phantomhive—the queens watchdog—and house Trancy, the queens spider, among others. Trance and Phantomhive were both aristocratic families with high influence, but in the 20's both were revealed to be working under the queen." Both boys sank into their seats. "The watchdog would murder for the queen, the spider would clean up their messes. Now, class, I want reports on the heads of these houses during that time era—Alois Trancy and Ciel Phantomhive." Ciel cleared his throat as a hushed murder spread throughout the room. 

"What, you've got beef with my family or something? Alois is a family name, you bloody cow!" Alois stood, slamming his hands on the table. A collective gasp spread through the room. "I won't stand here and listen to you talk about my family history specifically to humiliate my on my first day here!"

"Alois!" Ciel shouted, giving him a pointed glare. Alois sat back down with a huff, grumbling. 

"Sorry if I made you feel targeted, boys." Mrs. Martinez said. Ciel was surprised she didn't chew the both of them out. "It's part of the course plan, and I like to go well into detail. It's not my fault you chose today of all days to join us." She then moved on with her lesson, talking about various houses and their jobs.

•••

Third period was lunch. "Eleven seems a bit early for lunch," Alois had said. "But I'm not complaining." 

Ciel, on the other hand, was less than thrilled to eat the school lunch. "Are you sure this is edible?" He asked. Alois shrugged. 

"After fifty years of having limited food options, I'm not as picky."

"Alright," Ciel decided now was a good time to change the subject. "Now we find Finny. We've got half an hour to eat, fifteen minutes to go over everything with him before his next appointment, and I think we have fourth period music together with Sebastian. He told me he'd make sure we got that together, so-"

"Yes, we have that together." Alois confirmed. 

"-after that we have five to ten minutes to ask Sebastian a few things." Ciel sighed, rubbing his temples. "I never got the chance to be a teenager. I know this isn't real, but it's still kind of weird."

"Hmm, maybe I'll make it to the top of the social ladder." Alois muttered, not really listening to Ciel anymore. Ciel rolled his eyes, threw their food away, and then proceeded to drag Alois away from the table.

"First you'll have to beat that George kid. He seems to be at the top right now."

"Or I could just date him. Or that Victoria girl–"

"We didn't come here to make friends, Alois. You know that." Ciel interrupted him. Finny's room should be just a few doors down. 

"I know, but it'd be nice, don't you-"

"BOYS!" Finny exclaimed, pulling them both inside. None other than Hannah Annafellows stood by the desk, the school nurses uniform clinging to her. 

"Anything?" Ciel immediately said. Both shook their head.

"Actually," Finny said. "Looking back, a lot of the kids are having trouble with one particular teacher. His name is Mr. Richard Gunderson, ever heard of him?" 

"Shit." Ciel said, smacking a closed fist against the open palm of his other hand. "What year and class does he teach?"

"Eleventh, the year below you, and he teaches World History. Kids say he gets a bit too excited about the whole sacrificial part of it, and a bit too literal with their experiments. He's the guy you two are living with now, right?" Ciel nodded. 

"He didn't tell us he taught here. I guess that explains why he stuck around earlier this morning. Anything else?" Hannah hesitated before holding out her hands, wrists up. 

"I had a student come in from that classroom today with cuts on his wrists. They didn't appear self inflicted. It looked like an intense rope burn." Alois scowled. 

"Who?"

"Haru Asayama, a Japanese exchange student. He didn't seem to remember how they got there."

Ciel thought it over. He didn't like where this was going one bit. He'd only had to deal with this once before, and even then it wasn't this bad. 

"Sorry, young master, but I have a student coming in in five minutes. Do you mind?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Alois, Hannah, and I will take our leave now. Thanks Finny, Hannah." Alois and Ciel split ways from Hannah and Finny. Not even a minute later, they heard snickering behind them. 

"Oi, newbies! Have you gotten a hold of the social ladder yet?" 

Turning around, Ciel saw it was a tall, brawny girl with curly blond hair. At her side stood a redhead with a pixie cut and a leather bag slung over her shoulder. 

"Why take the ladder when escalators exist?" Ciel piped up. Alois frowned. That was his cue.

"You obviously haven't, eh? If you had, you'd know not to mess with me."

"You approached us, madame." Alois smiled. He knew how to handle brats like her. "If I may remind you." 

"Ah, flattery and sarcasm. Quite a lovely pair, wouldn't you say Scarlet?" The girl beside her nodded, snickering. "Y'know, that might work out great for you if I was into guys. I'll let you off for now because of that stunt in Mrs. Martimez's, but if you backtalk me again, you can expect a backhand." Ciel knew he could easily beat her in a fight, despite his lanky appearance. But being the mature individual he was, he held Alois back by the collar of his shirt as she sauntered away. 

"She's just a fly on the wall, Alois. She'll be dead in less than a century, and by then her existence won't have mattered. Let's go." Ciel said, still pulling Alois long by the collar of his shirt. Next class: music with Sebastian.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel and Alois run into some trouble, and Ciel has yet another flashback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls stop harassing me I'm just trying to share this story that I came up with
> 
> WARNING: this was originally a dark fic, and it technically still is. Starting now, be prepared for progressively dark themes.

"That was random." Alois muttered as they made their way into music room 3. Something about that girl didn't sit right with him.

"You're ten minutes early." Sebastian noted from his desk.

"Didn't have much else to do," Ciel answered.

"That was random." Alois said again, louder this time.

"What was random?" Sebastian asked, smoothing out the papers on his desk.

"A girl just smack talked us in the hallway for no damn reason other than existing." Alois said

"Who?"

"She looked like a Sarah." Ciel said.

"Or a Brittney." Alois added.

"Possibly a Courtney."

Sebastian refrained from making a sarcastic remark. "I'll look into it. Blond hair, green eyes, average height and weight, class valedictorian badge on her cardigan?"

"Exactly." Ciel answered.

"Toni Lahiffe. Half human, half grim reaper, probably has schizophrenia. Ignore her, she's of no harm. Moving on," Sebastian handled the situation with ease, having had Toni in his class earlier in the day. "No suspicious activity amongst anyone today, but I am sensing a... demonic presence. Not one as strong as me of course," he winked, "but a demonic presence nonetheless."

"A demonic what?" Cruz, a girl from Ciel's first period science walked in.

"A demonstration nonetheless. We were talking about Ciel and Alois's musical abilities, not that it's any of your business Miss Cruz."

Cruz bowed her head slightly. "Sorry, professor... sorry I don't quite remember."

"Michaelis. Professor Michaelis." Cruz frowned, glancing between Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel momentarily wondered if not changing his name before he arrived was a bad idea. Seeming to shrug it off as a coincidence, Cruz went to sit in her seat. The rest of the class filed in soon after.

In this particular music room, the seats were raised like those in a theatre would be, and a piano sat in the corner along with a few spare instruments for emergencies.

Alois took a spot at the piano, much to the dismay of one of his classmates, while Ciel happily took a spot with the choir section. Music really wasn't his forte, and at least he could pretend to sing rather than actually do it. 

Sebastian gave him a pointed look, and Ciel automatically knew that wouldn't be an option.

Class zoned by, and afterwards Sebastian told Ciel that he would look into his "spidey sense," as Alois had dubbed it.

Alois and Ciel caught a ride home from Richard, who's mood had darkened considerably since that morning.

"So, boys, did anyone tell you about me?"

Yes. "No, tell us what?" Alois asked in faked innocence. The creases in Richards brow smoothed out a bit.

"I'm a teacher at your school." Ciel and Alois nodded, making small talk until they got home.

Ciel decided he was taking extra precautions tonight and watching Rebecca and Richard in their sleep. Creepy? Yes. Necessary for survival? Probably not, but you could never be too careful.

Demons don't need sleep anyway, he reminded himself, yawning. He cursed himself for his leftover human traits.

When he opened his eyes, instead of Richard and Rebecca lying in bed, a pile of pillows took their place. "Are you fucking serious," he muttered to himself, turning just in time to grab a monkey wrench that was being thrown his way.

"I know who you are," Rebecca growled, low and guttural. "And I know you're trying to stop my husband. You'll have to get through me first." Ciel cracked a smile, a little laugh falling from his lips.

He shrugged, kicking her in the stomach, the heel of his boot landing with a satisfyingly horrifying crunch. Rebecca grunted. "Where's little Rafael, huh? He know his parents are murderers?" He asked, smirking as he watched her regain his composure. She growled at him again, lunging. He dodged, and she ran into the doorframe. He heard a crash upstairs. _Alois!_

Rebecca threw herself at him again, and he pushed her to the side. "Rafael deserves better parents than the likes of you." He spat at her before running up the stairs to the attic.

Richard had Alois in a headlock, and Alois actually had the nerve to laugh when he saw Ciel. "We'll kick your ass now for sure, you evil fuck!" He helped as Ciel twisted the mans arms behind his back.

"Sebastian, I could really use some help right now." Ciel grumbled, kicking his foot into the small of Richards back, pushing his face-first to the floor. The air shifted, and a butter knife imbedded itself right by Richards eye.

"You called, young master?"

"I fucking knew it." Richard grumbled. A shove from Alois's toe shut him up.

"Are we still constructed to stay?" Sebastian sighed, stroking an invisible beard.

"Yes. You don't get have proof he murdered anyone, so far you can only file for domestic abuse. How do you wish to proceed?" Ciel grinned, thinking about the plan he'd originally home over with Sebastian.

"I think we might have more than just these guys on our hands." He said, shoving Richards face farther into the floor. "Keep tabs on Toni. Dismissed." Sebastian disappeared. "Alois, so that amnesiac thing you do to Rebecca and Richard. I'm checking on Rafael." Alois grinned, nodded, and opened their shared wardrobe.

Walking into Rafael's room, Ciel found an empty mattress and an empty closet.

"Bloody hell…" Ciel looked around for any trace of the child before entering the hallway.

Nothing in the picture frames. He frowned. No child's disappearance should go unnoticed.

Ciel fell back into a flashback.

_"Ciel!" He heard Lizzie scream from the living room. Rushing in, she threw a newspaper at him, throwing her hands up in a rage. Sensing his mothers anger, a newborn Rosalee started crying. Meyrin rushed to shush the child. Vincent and James stared at their parents in muted confusion._

_"What is-" then he read the front cover. Multiple Disappearances of Children along Westminster sprawled in big bold letters._

_"I know you want to train Vincent to take over, but you can't take him on this one! I'm not losing another child, Ciel. I can't go through that again."_

_"Lizzie, you never even met the child."_

_"That doesn't change anything! Ciel," she lowered her voice. "Sometimes I think that you lack the ability to care anymore."_

_Ciel didn't say anything. He let her drag him to another room, muttering about not fighting in front of the children the whole way._

_"Ciel, if all four of us went missing tomorrow, would you have it in you to look? Or would you only look with the insistence of the queen?" Lizzie whispered. Ciel bit his lip, not really knowing how to answer._

_For once, he was at a loss for words._

_"I'm fighting with a brick wall, aren't I?" She laughed a bitter laugh. Ciel wasn't used to seeing her this angry, if at all, so it took him all his time to be able to say anything._

_"Lizzie," he murmured. "I care about all of you. If you went missing, I'd- I don't know what I'd do, but it would probably be drastic." With that, he pecked her on the cheek and left._


	7. sept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnn I can't wait to write the next few chapters!!!! Also, I write these on Wattpad bc formatting is better so if you're looking to get updates faster I'd look there

Ciel's eyes flew open and he bolted out of bed, reaching to the top bunk and pulling Alois with him, just as it caught on fire. He looked around frantically, putting the still drowsy Alois on the floor. No one was there. Ciel frowned. He really wanted to fall back on that Norwich plan now. 

He ducked on instinct, and a distraught Richard landed on the balls of his feet in front of him, back facing Ciel. 

"Why do you keep trying to kill us?" Alois asked, standing up. 

Apparently not in the mood for talking, Richard swung back around, a dagger in his hand. Ciel shrugged. "Maybe he's possessed. It can happen when a demon is too weak to manifest on its own." Richard growled. Ciel had struck a chord. He grinned. "But that wouldn't explain Rebecca now, would it? You got her under your control too? What is it, a demon? Grim reaper breaking code of conduct?" Ciel dodged every attempt of Richards to kill him, finally having enough and grabbing the blade directly. His own blood seeped through his fingers, but he still grinned. 

"Or maybe you're using something more sinister, hmm? Her son?" He kicked Richard in the stomach, bringing the man down just as he'd done before. "Her life?" When Richard failed to answer, Ciel kept talking. "I saw her bruises and scars, Richie. I didn't want to have to kill anyone this time around, but it seems-"

"Wait!" A shrill cry rang through the room. Ciel turned his head, still pinning Richard down. Alois had Rebecca in front of him, pinning her arms behind her. Rafael's crying sang through the house from downstairs. 

"It- it was my idea. I brought the orphans here so he would unleash his anger on them rather than Rafael and I. The bruises... they're from my clumsiness when- when killing them."

A long pause ensued. 

"You're despicable." Ciel spat, not that he had much room to talk after what happened with Noah's Ark Circus. 

"As a former orphan slash sex slave, I can honestly say that this is disturbing." Alois said, pushing Rebecca forward. "And to think, I was looking forward to a long school year! Hardly got a week in and I'm already dropping out." He pouted. Ciel yanked Richard up. Richards shattered glasses fell off of his nose. 

"Burn it." Ciel said, pushing Richard forwards before grabbing Alois and bolting, locking the door on the way out. 

"I'll get the boy and summon Sebastian and Hannah, you take this place to ashes." Ciel instructed. Alois nodded.

Ciel went downstairs into where he guessed Rafael's room was, since he'd never been in Rafael's room before. Rafael was in his crib, crying and screaming for his parents, who wee banging and clawing at the door upstairs. The only window in the attic was made of bulletproof glass, so Ciel doubted they'd be able to get out. 

"Hey, Rafael." Ciel said, reaching down to the boy. His tears stopped almost instantaneously and he reached towards Ciel, who picked him up. Carrying him outside, Ciel distracted the boy by telling him about the circus and how they might be able to visit one soon. 

Ciel knew he had to hurry up and summon the demons when he smelt the smoke. "Sebastian, Hannah." He murmured before starting to tell Rafael yet another story.

"Master?" Sebastian asked Ciel from behind Rafael. Hannah rushed inside the house to aid Alois, coming back moments later with him walking triumphantly in front of her. 

"We set it ablaze." Ciel said, stopping the story as he picked Rafael up and handed him to Alois. "Get him to safety, Alois. I'll meet you in front of Weston Academy in the morning."

"Were still going to school?"

"No, we just need a meeting place. Be sure to take Rafael. I'll make plans for him tonight. Sebastian," Ciel said, turning around. "Let's go home. I have a call to make."


	8. Huit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM GONNA COSPLAY FINNY AT SDCC AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Alois had never babysat. Not since Luka was alive anyway, and that was well over a century ago. Rafael didn't cry much, and he wasn't loud, but Alois still didn't know what to do.

"Does he take solids? Of course he does, he's 2. But... is he allergic to anything? Hannah, do we have access to medical records? Oh god, is he vegan?"

Hannah smiled warmly at Rafael, and the boy giggled. "Just give him some spaghetti. Cut his grapes in half. It's simple." She told Alois.

"How come I had to take the kid? I hate kids. Is he potty trained? I wonder if Rebecca was still breastfeeding him. Dear lord, what if- dammit, Ciel, this is not the time!" He phone vibrates mid sentence, and he picked it up to reveal Ciel's name on the caller ID. "Hannah, can you feed him?" She nodded and Alois answered the call, walking into the hallway. He had kept his major over the years, his one remaining servant doing him better than he had anticipated. Once he got out of the bratty funk Claude had sent him into, he'd learnt that there was more to life than revenge.

"Yes?" He grumbled into the phone. A deep breath came in through the line, and Ciel started speaking, his voice heavy.

"I... called some family in Norwich. My- erm, great grandson. So change of plans, I'll come over to your... manor, I assume? Yes? Alright. I'll be there within the hour. Oh, fuck, I can already tell I'm going to regret this-" the line went dead. Alois frowned at his phone. He knew it was serious when Ciel used the f-word, which he had claimed to be too mature to use.

•••

The doorbell rang and Hannah opened it to Ciel and Sebastian, who immediately walked inside with an important air.

"Where's Alois?" Ciel asked Hannah, out of breath.

"In the foyer. Shall I show you to him?" Ciel nodded.

"Sebastian, make arrangements. Tell Finny to watch the child while Alois and I talk." Sebastian disappeared, Finnian standing in his place, and Hannah hurriedly showed Ciel to the foyer, where Alois sat reading a book.

Ciel frowned. "Bloody hell are you wearing?"

"What I usually wear when I'm not at school!" Alois said defensively, looking down at his short shorts and nirvana shirt.

Ciel shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We need to leave for Norwich immediately. I convinced my family to take in Rafael, but they've requested we eat dinner with them, which is in two hours. We're exactly two hours away, and- do you understand?" Alois nodded frantically, running to grab his boots from his room.

"I'm ready!" He said triumphantly, boots on his feet, a diaper bag slung over his shoulder.

Ciel pointed at the bag. "When'd you have to time to-"

"I don't like to talk about it!" Alois said cheerily, skipping towards Finnian and Hannah, who were playing patty cake with the boy.

"Why can't we keep 'im, master?" Finny asked, turning his big, childlike blue eyes on Ciel.

"He's a child, Finny, not a dog. You remember what happened to Pluto, don't you?" Finny nodded solemnly. "Besides, we'll still see him, hopefully. He just won't live with us. Now, are you accompanying us to diner at the Dubois household?" (A/N Dubois is pronounced "doo-bwahh")

Finny nodded ecstatically. Ciel looked at Rafael, surprised he wasn't more stressed about the situation.

"We have car seat in the limo. Let's go."

•••

Two hours and a dirty diaper later, they'd made it to Norwich. Rafael had fallen asleep an hour prior, and Sebastian carefully tugged him out of the seat. Rafael's head bobbed a little once on Sebastian's shoulder, but he otherwise stayed asleep as Finny fussed over how adorable he was.

Sebastian noticed Ciel's anxious demeanor and winked at him. "Smile, my lord," he said. "Or they'll think they've won." Ciel nodded, a small grin gracing his features. Sebastian loved that he smiled as much as he did in recent times. It meant he'd done his job well.

Ciel poised himself in front of the grand oak door. His family had done well for themselves over the years. He knocked, and not a minute later, the door opened to a young man in a suit, dark blond hair gelled neatly.

"You must be the one who called Vivian earlier! Welcome, welcome. This is... a lot of people." The man said to Sebastian. "This must be your family!" Ciel refrained from giving off a sarcastic remark and smiled politely. Obviously Vivian hadn't told the man that Sebastian wasn't the one who called, or that it was his ancestor who'd his wife had spoken too.

"It was I who called, actually. We have... quite a lot to go over." The man's infectious smile vanished when he turned to look at Ciel. His eyes darted behind him just barely fast enough for Ciel to catch before an uneasy smile once again showed itself.

"I- I see. Come in, come in!" Ciel nodded in thanks and stepped into the household. It was the size of an average family townhouse, not nearly as big as Ciel's previous manner. The front room was a living room with stairs leading to a second floor.

Ciel felt a light shove on his shoulder, and he looked to where Alois was pointing. An oil painting was on the wall, Sebastians name in the lower right corner. Ciel frowned. "I thought they sold that." He whispered.

"Do what?" The man asked.

"I thought they told you that... I have a nut allergy." Ciel lied. Alois stifled a laugh.

"Your lying sucks a lot more than it used to."

"Shut up, Alois, no one asked for your opinion." Ciel grumbled.

"Speaking of nut allergies, I was kind of looking forward to playing around with that Toni girl. Maybe get in a little flirting with that Joshua guy." Ciel rolled his eyes, frowning when he saw their host—Elias?—stifle a snort.

"Just shut up and try not to be weird during dinner."

Finally, after a few eternities, they reached the dining room. A curvy woman with brown hair pulled back in a bun was putting a serving platter on the table. She smiled tightly at Ciel when the group walked in.

"No, I haven't told him." She said as soon as everyone was sat and introductions were over. 

"Told who what? Does the little guy have some medical-"

"No." Ciel cut him off. "I saw the way you looked at me and then at that painting back there?" The guy winced. "That was me. This guy-" Ciel pointed at Sebastian. "-he painted it."

"That's imp-"

"It isn't and you know it. I'm fully aware of the bedtime story that's been passed down in our family. My late wife Lizzie started it with our children, Vincent, Rosalee, and James. Any more proof?"

"What's my name?" Ciel frowned. There were too many to remember, and usually he didn't hear about his descendants until they were dead.

"Either Elias or Philip."

"Elias was my fathers name. My name is Antonio. Where'd you get Philip from? He's been dead for fifty years, he's buried in Massachusetts." Ciel threw his hands up in the air.

"How am I supposed to know that when I only hear about any of you once you've died?" Alois cleared his threat and they finally took notice that they weren't alone.

"What's for dinner?" Finny asked, breaking the ice. Vivian smiled.

"Steak and potatoes!"

Alois grinned wolfishly. "My favorite!"

•••

_Lizzie looked at her eldest son. Hair dark as midnight just like his fathers, eyes a bright green like hers. Other than his eyes, he was his father made over._

_She'd never had a favorite child, but she did favor him over the others when it came to his hobbies. He was artistically inclined, helping his father out with police sketches and such._

_"Mum, I'm too old for bedtime stories." Her now ten year old son whined, snuggling himself further into the sheets. Lizzie giggled, hissing him on the forehead._

_"Alright, Vincent. If you need your medicine, call Meyrin, alright dear?"_

_"Yes mum. G'night." She smiled at him._

_"Goodnight."_

_She moved into the next room._

_"Rosa-"_

_"Mummy! There's a monster under my bed and I think it's trying to kill me!" Lizzie checked under the bed, telling Rosalee that there was nothing there. Rosalee's blue eyes were filled with tears, her dark blond hair falling into her face. She was her mothers child._

_"Besides," she reminded her daughter. "Your father and his butler will always keep you out of harms way, remember? Now, are we having a bedtime story or not?" Rosalee nodded ecstatically. Lizzie smiled. At least one of her children still appreciated her stories._

_"Once upon a time..." she told Rosalee about the story of Ciel and Alois, a favorite of all three of her children. By the time she was done, Rosalee's eyes where almost completely closed. Lizzie kissed her forehead._

_"Goodnight, love."_

_Lizzie walked to the nursery next, opening the door a crack. Her youngest lay snoring obnoxiously loud for a one year old, his brown eyes shut. His black hair was finally growing in, and thick. She ran her fingers through it, dipping in to kiss his forehead._

_She left, yawning to herself and checking the clock. Entering her and Ciel's shared room, she sat on her side of the empty bed. Ciel waltzed out of the bathroom, hair damp._

_"You're home early," Lizzie noted._

_"Yes, I... I'm taking bit of a vacation, actually. A week. Thought I'd spend some time with you." Lizzie smiled a secret smile to herself, blushing a bit. After all these years, he still garnered that reaction from her._

_"Sounds perfect."_


	9. Neuf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been working on the sequel to this lol it's gonna be called Black. ~~ Keep in mind that PTSD wasn't discovered until 1980. That's why I'm not directly addressing it.

Lizzie had never considered herself a bad person. Sure, she knew dirty tricks, but she did all she could to remain cute, putting aside the time on the Campania. Never did she dare step out of her role as wife of the Earl Ohantomhive. Never did she disobey the queen nor what the queen stood for.

However, that didn't mean she was about to let the kingdom take her first son, her eldest child, away from her. He was eighteen, technically of legal age, but she fought tooth and nail to keep them from taking him to the asylum. He was fine! He was fine, fine, fine...

Maybe he wasn't fine.

Her baby, her little boy Vincent, was diagnosed with insanity due to his violent night terrors, not to mention that he would occasionally lash out when they mentioned his fathers work.

Lizzie turned on her heel, her robes fluffing around her. She was fairly surprised to see Ciel, still stuck in his teenage years, behind her, arms open wide. She rushed into them, but their hug did feel like it used to, back when they were married. They parted ways when Vincent was thirteen, as their marriage had fallen apart after she'd miscarried. Frankly, it was all for the better, as their reputation had gone down the drain when the press took notice of their physical age difference.

Lizzie broke down in tears. Her youngest son, just at the tender age of eleven, tugged on her nightgown. "Mum? What's going on, where are they taking Vincent?"

"Papa!" Rosalee ran to her father, and he embraced her as well. James was confused. Everyone was so sad, and he didn't know why. Sebastian appeared at his side, kneeling next to him.

"It's not to worry about, young master, would you like some tea?" Vincent nodded, eyes lighting up, but the question of where they took his big brother still nagged at him in the back of his mind.

•••

Ciel stood over her coffin. It was after hours, not that it applied to him, so the chapel was empty. He didn't know he could go into holy buildings, but he currently found himself at the altar. Tears glistened in his eyes, but he wiped at them furiously.

He was a full fledged demon now. He shouldn't be able to feel emotions like this anymore.

He felt something tug at his arm, and he turned calmly to see his daughter, now in her late forties, standing at his side. "I haven't seen you in ten years, father, and you pick now to show up? Mama missed you terribly so."

"I've as well, Rosalee, and I'm offended you'd think otherwise. I was on business. Ever since Queen Elizabeth II took over, I've been working nonstop."

"Father..." Rosalee trailed off. Ciel could already tell what she was about to ask. "What've you really been doing? Queen Elizabeth has only been on the thrown since 52. That's three years explained, but what about the other seven?" Ciel looked away. "Listen, you don't have to explain yourself. It's just... I want you to meet your grandchildren and your great grandchildren. I came here to talk to you about that."

"You always were the voice of reason out of you three," Ciel started offhandedly, completely ignoring her previous statement. "I remember when you were scared of the monsters under your bed, and your mother would tell you about my adventures in some elaborate, sugar coated fairytale." He sat down on a bench, and she followed. "I remember when Vincent got taken away, and Lizzie sobbed alone for a week afterwards. I remember when they told us he wouldn't be coming home..." Rosalee buried her face in his shoulder. She, too, remembered that night all too well. "I remember watching James wed you off because I couldn't do it. I remember you telling me to act like a cousin towards your new family, and I remember how surprised I was that it hurt me to hear you say that." Rosalee lifted her head, sniffling.

"Papa, please..."

"I have to stand by and watch my kin move on and die while I can't ever legally drink in America. Of course I want to meet my descendants, but I know I am incapable of giving up all that you wish me to."

"I just want you to stop hurting people, Papa!" She yelled. "To stop murdering without qualm, to stop hurting your family, to stop hurting yourself! You wouldn't be staring at mama's corpse right now if you has listened to us ten years ago." She stood and walked out, leaving Ciel alone with his dead love all over again.

•••

Ciel always held the assumption that the passing of his servants would be easy. It was anything but. Tanaka passed when Vincent was five, but that was to be expected. They were prepared for his death.

The others? Not so much. Bardroy passed away first from old age, always staying true to the Phantomhive Manor, whereas Mey-Rin started a family and moved to London (though she always stayed close to Vincent, Rosalee, and James).

Lizzie was a mess at both funerals, Vincent was only able to attend Bardroy's. He was killed by a doctor at the asylum six months before Mey-Rin said her final goodbye, leaving behind a son and two grandchildren.

It hurt Ciel more than he thought it would, watching his most loyal, long term companions go. Sebastian only stuck by him because of their contract, while his servants put up with him because they actually cared.

He never thought that they might care until it was too late and they'd slipped through his fingers. After Mey-Rin was gone forever, he made sure to never belittle or take Finny for granted again.

•••present day•••

Ciel didn't know what came next. Everything had happened so fast that he didn't have time to plan ahead. He scuffed his boot into the hardwood floor of Antonio and Vivian's house like an embarrassed third grader. "So, uh, I can see Rafael again, right?"

"Of course!" Vivian gushed. "Yes, as long as you don't..." She trailed off, but Ciel got the message. "I wasn't planning on turning him into a demon, if that's what your asking about. That's a long, vigorous process and I'm still not sure how I came to be one."

"Speaking of which," Alois started. "I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but does it have any side affects? A human and a demon having children, I mean."

"Alois, I wasn't born a demon. It only affected my oldest son. I guess it's a recessive gene."

Alois frowned. "How did it affect him?"

"I know this one!" Finny yelled. "He-"

"He had PTSD from your mission, Ciel. Admit it. The demon blood only enhanced it." Antonio interrupted. Ciels face flushed, and Sebastian and Hannah smiled at their hosts.

"My Master is keen to deny such accusations, no matter how often I tell him the truth they hold. My apologies if he-"

"He's right." Sebastian started. He didn't expect Ciel to admit to it. "It's pretty well known within the Phantomhive family that I wasn't human, it's just widely assumed to be a bedtime story. And it is. The watered down version is, anyway." Ciel and Alois took turns recounting their fight and what happened afterwards, and while they could laugh about it now, it left Vivian and Antonio in shock.

"In the bedtime story- never mind, it's not important." Nationwide shook his head.

"On that note, think we'll take our leave now. Ciel has important mail he must read back home." Sebastian stood, and the rest of the table followed his lead. Ciel have a pointed look to Sebastian, who narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly in return. This wasn't just an excuse to escape, he had yet another mission from the queen.

They said their goodbyes, and Alois, Ciel, and the Du Buois parted ways at the door.


	10. Dix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hello don’t mind me I just forgot how to spell for like six months,, I was really trying to get this to 1k but it’s just gonna have to wait for a bit longer until I can get back on my feet.

It had been exactly two days since they dropped Rafael off when Ciel showed up on Alois' doorstep, accompanied by his fellow demon, Sebastian.

"Desperate, huh? What now?" Alois asked upon seeing Hannah show them into the parlor. 

"That Toni girl, the bitch. I knew there was something fishy about her when she threatened us without reason." Alois raised an eyebrow at Ciel's use of the swear. 

"You cursed and I didn't even have to get you worked up! Alright, you have my attention... go on, what's so bad about this Toni girl that you came to me to rant about her?" Alois took a sip of his tea. 

"She's Claude's daughter." Ciel said, sighing through his nose as he threw himself down on the other end of the sofa that Alois sat on. 

Alois spit out his tea. "Damn it, this was my nice Pink Floyd T-shirt too. Claude's daughter, aye?" Ciel nodded, gesturing to Sebastian for the paperwork. "We have to go back to school, Alois, which I'm sure you're happy about. Sebastian and Hannah have taken the role of our legal guardians."

"What do you expect to do about her? I wouldn't think her to be a big threat unless she's raised by him—which she isn't, since he's nice and dead."

"Presumably", Sebastian began. "Though, of course, you have to see the bigger picture to really understand—which, unfortunately, humans cannot quite comprehend."

"What the fuck, Sebastian? If you're going to insult me, at least do it in a way that is even remotely funny." Alois spat. "Anyway," taking a deep breath, he continued, "the bigger picture. Alright. So there's something you can see that I can't. Why do you need my help?" Ciel smiled. 

"Hannah, bring in the wardrobe!"

•••

An hour and two fist fights later, Alois sat in a frilly pink dress with a pigtailed wig and makeup powdered over his face. 

"First of all," He started. "I find this sexist and demeaning. Second of all, it's been over a century, can you please let that go? You cross dressed too!" 

Ciel shivered. "And was hit on by your cousin. No thanks. No, you can go in as Toni's new best friend, I'll play the emo kid like I did back in 2007 when I had to go to Harvard for a murder case."

"What?" Alois asked. Ciel shrugged it off. "Not important. Anyway, I don't think this is what popular girls look like now-"

"Oi, young master, I haven't been in a mansion this big since–what year is it?" Finny asked. Ciel didn't know if he was asking so he could do the math or because of the dress Alois was in. 

"It's still 2017. I know, the dress has me confused too. Why can't I just be a tomboy or, you know, my gay old self?"

"Gay best friend? I mean... isn't that kind of insensitive?" Ciel asked. 

"Since when have you been worried about other people's sensitivity? You burnt down a building full of children for fucks sake!" Alois griped, pulling off the dress to reveal the boning underneath. (A/N lmao I read this after six months and I thought it said,, well you can imagine what I thought it said) 

"You burn down a building one time..." Ciel grumbled, handing Alois back his clothing. "Whatever. Just- meet us in the car. We'll explain it on the way to the school."


	11. Onze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year is 1979. Ciel has finally decided to let go of his old life and sell the manor.

_He looked over the receipts. The mansion was well taken care of and I'm damned near perfect condition; he sold it to a charity. They said they'd make a museum about him, the closest damned thing to Sherlock Holmes they'd ever hope to have._

 

_Not that they knew who they were buying it from, of course._

 

_Curl chucked at the memory of the manager—Marian, if he remembered right—glancing at him and then the painting of him when he was 14._

 

_"You look a lot like-"_

 

_"Yes, I get that a lot," Ciel said in the arrogant tone he'd carried throughout the entire ordeal. "I'm James, the third kid's, great-grandson, actually, so a direct defendant of Ciel." Ciel lord through his teeth, biting his tongue to keep his straight face. Marian nodded in fascination._

 

_"Did you have any family stories of him, perhaps? My mother was good friends with one of his servants, Mey-Rin, and she always told us that Lizzie had a habit of putting the children to bed with stories of their father."_

 

_Ciel nodded. The sting of hearing about his family was damn near gone after 20 years, but the scar remained. It would always remain. "Just vague details," he settled on. "I'm certain it was all sugar coated anyway." Marian nodded._

 

_"And with good reason too, from what I've read." She sighed. "Anyway, you said you lived here?" Ciel nodded. "I was quite surprised when I found out, I must admit. How soon can you be out?"_

 

_"My plane for America leaves at 8am."_

 

_"So soon," she wrote something on her clipboard before flashing a bright red-lipped smile at him. "Cheers! I hope you enjoy America!"_

 

_Ciel suddenly found himself back in the present day of July 25, 1979._

 

_"Good riddance," he muttered, shoving the paper into Sebastian's chest. And so that would be the last time he laid eyes on the manor._


End file.
